BREAKING DOWN THE DRUG BUST

DRUGS are not a problem at the University. Either that or some of
Charlottesville's finest should consider a career change.

At a press conference last Friday, local authorities announced the
indictment of 33 people on charges of drug distribution and sales and
the seizure of marijuana, cocaine, opium, ecstasy and psilocybin
mushrooms worth $20,000-22,000. As of Monday afternoon, 15 of those
indicted had been arrested, including eight University students.

The arrests mark the conclusion of a 15-month undercover operation
conducted by the Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement (JADE) Task Force.
The investigation, dubbed "Operation Spring Break Down," involved
agents from the Charlottesville, University and Albemarle County
police departments, the Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement
Administration, The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. These law enforcement officials were
aided in the investigation by several University students and employees.

The news sent rumors flying about the University, as many students
expected new arrests at any time. Speaking to reporters on Friday,
Capt. Chip Harding of the Charlottesville Police Department said,
"There's going to be a lot of people nervous tonight and wondering
where the JADE operation is going next."

With such a preponderance of law enforcement resources arrayed against
them, University drug offenders have a right to be nervous. But I'm
more concerned about the conduct and priorities of the JADE task force.

On the surface, Operation Spring Break Down seems like an impressive
piece of law enforcement. But a closer look reveals the humble nature
of both the investigation and the offenses involved.

The JADE task force seized $20,000-22,000 worth of drugs and secured
33 indictments over the course of Operation Spring Break Down. That's
an average of $606-666 per suspect -- small time stuff, to say the
least. Furthermore, the individuals arrested were not part of any
organized drug ring. Lt. Donald Campbell, the coordinator of the JADE
task force, told The Daily Progress that "Some of the people =85
associated and dealt with each other, but not all those people knew
each other and dealt with each other. It's not like one big ring or
anything."

So, in sum, the 17 JADE personnel conducted a 15 month investigation
and found only 33 isolated offenders in possession of an average of
$606-666 worth of drugs apiece. That such an extensive investigation
yielded such paltry results should call into question the true extent
of the University's drug problem or perhaps the competence of the JADE
task force.

The investigation seems particularly absurd in light of the
swashbuckling manner in which last week's arrests were made. Beginning
around 7 p.m. on Thursday, law enforcement officers, working in teams
of five to six, raided numerous Corner bars in search of the suspects.
Several students were arrested at the Biltmore Grill and one outside
O'Neill's Pub. When asked about the decision to arrest the students at
Corner bars, Campbell declined to offer an explanation.

Still more dramatic was JADE's initial attempt to capture the 15
University students who were indicted. Prior to the bar arrests, each
student was sent a letter inviting him to join "Zeta Tau," a
fictitious secret society. The students were instructed to meet at the
Rotunda on Thursday evening for their induction. The five students who
responded to the letter were escorted to City Hall in a van decorated
with "Zeta Tau" insignia, where they were arrested.

Although slightly humorous, the "Zeta Tau" ruse was nothing short of
juvenile. The JADE agents who laid the trap knew the names and
addresses of each student suspect. But rather than arrest the students
at their homes or fraternity houses, they devised an elaborate prank
that served little purpose except to humiliate the suspects at the
time of their arrest. At the press conference, Campbell joked that the
name "Zeta Tau" stood for "Zero Tolerance."

JADE's conduct last week was out of all proportion to the severity of
the suspects' alleged crimes, and it should cause the Charlottesville
community to question the professionalism of its law enforcement
officers. Rather than raiding bars, tricking suspects and crowing
about their menial triumphs in a public press conference, JADE
officials should have made the arrests quietly and moved on to other
projects. The business of the police is law enforcement, not
showmanship.

There are two possible conclusions to be drawn from Operation Spring Break
Down: Either drugs are not a major problem at the University, or JADE is
not competent to investigate the problem of drugs at the University. If 33
indictments and $22,000 worth of narcotics are the extent of the
University's drug problem, then our law enforcement resources could be put
to better use. But if those seizures and indictments are representative of
a larger drug problem, they're a sorry prize for 15 months' work.

(Alec Solotorovsky is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. He can be
reached at asolotorovsky@cavalierdaily.com.)